Closer to You
by nyctophobic
Summary: Sasuke's thoughts on Sakura's confession as he leaves Konoha. SasuSaku. One-Shot.


**My first Naruto fic, I'm not quite sure how it's going to turn but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Also, I'm kind of worried that I won't be able to capture Sasuke right cause I haven't actually finished the series. But I loved how Sakura confessed to him, and I won't lie, SasuSaku is one of my favourite ships.**

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He knew she would be the first one to come after him. He hadn't been surprised whatsoever when he noticed her chakra signature following him, it was different from the others', it felt almost calming. Sasuke doubted she even thought about hiding it.

_Haruno Sakura._

There was no one who annoyed the raven haired boy more than the pinkette who stood behind him, calling out. He would admit it though; in the beginning he had thought her of nothing more than a deranged fan girl, he no longer thought that of her now.

"Sasuke-kun!"

He could feel the corners of his mouth turn down slightly. Just like Naruto, Sakura made him feel things he didn't want to feel, feelings that would get in the way of his goals. Unlike the blonde, it was something different, more like a protectiveness kind of feeling.

Sasuke sighed, he would have to break her, make her hate him, anything. He hated nothing more than the idea of being the cause of Sakura's crying. She wasn't strong, but the bonds she felt for people, and her kind-heartedness made up for it.

He thought back briefly to the day she had protected him with all she had – the day he received the wretched cursed seal from Orichimaru. He had been unable to control himself when he had noticed her newly cropped hair and the injuries she had sustained.

"Aren't you going to be lonely by yourself? Sasuke-kun, didn't you tell me that being alone is awful? I understand that it hurts… I have family and friends but if you leave… for me… to me it's the same thing as being alone."

He could already hear the quivering in her voice as she told him how she felt. Sasuke knew she didn't quite understand his feelings of loneliness, but he knew she would still feel lonely all the same. He would go to Orichimaru to gain the power to defeat Itachi; Naruto would probably leave the village to get strong enough to bring him back; while Sakura… she would stay in Konoha, she would be alone without Team 7.

"From this point on, new paths will start," he stated, almost emotionlessly.

It hardly took any time for Sakura to speak up again, the words that she said so bravely almost shocked him.

"I love you more than anything! If you are by my side, I will make sure you don't regret it. I'll make every day more enjoyable, and you'll be happy! There's nothing I wouldn't do for you… that's why… please stay here with me. If that's not possible… then please take me with you!"

Sasuke paused for a moment, taking in her words. Had it been anyone else, he would've laughed almost immediately, or otherwise just ignored it. Sakura would always be a different case from the others that pinned after him.

He could see it almost perfectly clear; staying in Konoha, going on missions with everyone. Everything would continue as it had up until this point thus far, he would be happier. Slowly, the Uchiha turned his head slightly towards the Haruno girl, a mistake he shouldn't have made in the first place.

Moonlight cascaded down her slight form illuminating her pale skin and baby pink coloured hair. He had always found the colour of it to be intriguing. His eyes met hers and he quickly forced himself away from her. The apple-green colour was piercing and nearly sparkled from the tears that streamed down her face. Even though her features showed nothing but sadness, he found her to be almost beautiful. The thoughts that ran through his mind about her were always shocking.

He hadn't wanted to make her cry in all honesty, after all, she was one of the only people he had let in after the massacre of his family. He also didn't want to continue hurting someone who had become so important to him.

"After all this time, you're still annoying."

He would break her heart and she would move on. He wasn't about to let her talk him out of his goals. Besides, even if he did bring her along to Orichimaru's, Sasuke wouldn't be able to guarantee her safety. Orichimaru wouldn't keep around anyone who wasn't of any use to him in his plans.

"IF YOU GO, I WILL SCREAM OUT LOUD, AND –"

He wouldn't let her finish whatever it was she was going to say, in almost a blink of an eye, Sasuke came up behind her, "thank you, Sakura"

There was so much more he wanted to thank her for; thank her for loving him, thank her for showing him how to open his heart again, thank her for giving him friendship, and thanking her for becoming an essential part of his life. Had everything been different, or even in another lifetime, he would've fallen in love with her easily, with no obstacles to wrench their way between them.

There was one thing he would always refuse to do though, and that was staining such a gentle-hearted girl like Sakura. He would gladly dirty his own hands, but the girl, now tumbling into his arms, needed to remain clean and pure. Sasuke picked up the unconscious girl carefully, feeling a little bit bad about knocking her out so brutally, but it had become necessary. With a quick glance around, he made sure to see if anyone had noticed their exchange before placing her down on the bench.

He brushed a few pink strands away from her teary, closed eyes. He wondered how long it would be until he saw her again, wondered how she would look as she started mature as she got older. Would she grow out her hair, or keep it short? Either way Sakura would be very pretty when she was older, he was almost completely sure of this. Thinking about it made him want to stay and continue to be by her side, but he knew it wasn't possible for them anymore.

Almost silently he continued down the path to the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village.

_I'm sorry, Sakura. Forgive me._

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**I picture Sasuke being such a Kuudere. Anyways, this was my first Naruto fic/one-shot/whatever this shit is. I find it really frustrating to write from someones point of view when their all like.. stoic and shit. I dunno. I hope I did it justice. Feedback is welcomed.**

**Once again, sorry if it sucks.. maybe I'll just stick to writing about OTPS that I've actually finished watching the series for and knowing everything humanly possible about the character.**

**-Sam**


End file.
